Sky goes fully ‘in-house’ for first time with crime thriller ‘The Rising’

LR: Clara Rugaard, Nenda Neururer & Solly McLeod

European pay TV operator Sky has ordered an eight-part supernatural crime thriller that marks its first commission to be produced entirely in-house.

The Rising, which begins filming in the Lake District in the UK next month, is being produced by Sky Studios and executive producer Julian Stevens (The Fall). It is based on Belgian crime thriller Hotel Beau Séjour, which was first produced by De Mensen for local broadcaster Eén.

The show tells the story of a woman who discovers that she is dead. After overcoming her fears, she realises she has been murdered and becomes determined to find her killer and get justice, believing that it was someone she knew.

Jane Millichip

It will star Clara Rugaard (I Am Mother) and Nenda Neururer (A Brief History Of Struggle).

The 8 x 60-minute drama will be directed by Ed Lilly (Industry), with Stevens and Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches) exec producing. The series is written by Pete McTighe alongside Charlene James (A Discovery Of Witches), Roanne Bardsley (Free Rein), Gemma Hurley (Host) and Laura Grace (Das Boot).

It will debut on Sky One in the UK, Ireland, Italy and Germany in 2022. The show will also be available via streamer NOW in the UK, Ireland and Italy, and on Sky Ticket devices in Germany, Sky X in Austria and Sky Shows in Switzerland.

International sales are being handled by Comcast sibling NBCUniversal Global Distribution.

The Rising is the first show to be produced entirely by the pay TV company’s production division Sky Studios and joins The Third Day on the division’s production slate. It was commissioned by Zai Bennett, MD of content at Sky UK and Manpreet Dosanjh, commissioning editor for Sky Studios.

Bennett said: “The Rising is a really fresh take on an atmospheric thriller and I’m hugely excited to bring this story to Sky, complete with a great line up of young, emerging talent.”

Jane Millichip, chief content officer at Sky Studios, added: “[The Rising] re- enforces our ambition and commitment to building high-quality production capability that sits alongside our work with independents. It’s fantastic to be working with Julian Stevens and a world-class team of established and emerging talent, who are delivering a fresh and impactful take on the supernatural genre.”

The show is part of Sky’s plans to double its investment in original content by 2024. The company, which launched Sky Studios in 2019, is also preparing Sky Studios Elstree – a dedicated film and TV studio set to open in 2022.